Identification, assessment, control and assurance for psychosocial hazards across WA workplaces. Built to the WA Code of Practice: Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace and the WA FIFO Code — not retrofitted from a generic HR wellbeing program.
Since December 2022, psychosocial hazards have been an explicit, enforceable duty under both the WHS (General) Regulations 2022 and the WHS (Mines) Regulations 2022 in Western Australia. PCBUs must identify the hazards, assess the risks, and eliminate or minimise them so far as is reasonably practicable — the same standard that applies to noise, dust or working at heights. Most WA operators have a fitness-for-work program and an EAP poster on the wall. Neither of those, on their own, meets the regulator’s expectation.
WA operates a partly bespoke psychosocial regime. The general duty in section 19 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) applies equally to physical and psychological health. Sitting under it:
Compliance with an approved Code of Practice is admissible evidence in a defence under the WHS Act. We build engagements that produce that evidence trail.
Safe Work Australia and WorkSafe WA recognise the following hazard categories. They rarely occur in isolation — they combine and compound, which is exactly why a one-off survey doesn’t cut it:
HSES delivers psychosocial work the way we deliver every other WHS service — data-led, integrated into the safety management system, and aimed at controls that actually shift the risk profile. Kelly Gutteridge leads the clinical and worker-engagement side as a registered nurse and midwife with 30+ years across mining, oil & gas and FIFO operations. Jeremy Gutteridge leads the WHS systems, audit and investigation side. The combination is unusual in WA.
End-to-end assessments aligned to the WA Code of Practice and ISO 45003:2021. We identify hazards through workforce surveys, structured interviews, document review and site observation; assess risk by site, crew, roster and role; and produce a ranked control plan tied to the hierarchy of controls.
Validated psychosocial survey instruments deployed with anonymous responses. We segment results by location, crew, roster pattern and demographic without re-identifying small groups — minimum cell sizes are enforced in reporting. Repeat surveys provide trend data for management review.
Targeted work for resources and construction operators under the WA FIFO Code. We assess camp accommodation, roster design, isolation, leadership behaviour, sexual harassment risk, security and lighting, connectivity, and intervention pathways — the specific risk factors WorkSafe Mines Safety inspectors are actively examining.
Combined WHS and Commonwealth positive-duty assessments. We map the operating environment against the seven standards under the positive duty framework and against the hierarchy of controls under WHS — one assessment, two compliance outputs. Particularly relevant for resources operators in the wake of the Enough is Enough report.
Reviews against the WA Bullying at Work and Violence and Aggression at Work codes. We assess reporting systems, investigation quality, control effectiveness and re-occurrence patterns — not just whether a policy document exists.
Drafting and integration of psychosocial risk controls into your existing safety management system. Risk register entries, safe work procedures, leader briefings, consultation mechanisms, training matrices and HSR engagement — built so the program reads as WHS, not as a parallel HR initiative.
Coordinated response after a notifiable psychosocial incident, fatality, serious assault or sexual harassment disclosure. ICAM-style investigation of contributing factors, regulator liaison with WorkSafe WA or Mines Safety, and post-event support pathways via treating practitioners and EAP networks.
Leader and HSR training in psychosocial hazard identification, consultation and intervention. Short, scenario-based sessions designed for supervisors, crew leads, OIMs and senior officers — not generic mental health awareness modules.
We deliver psychosocial work across WA, including:
Worker-level data — survey responses, interview content and any clinical screening — is held in confidence under the Australian Privacy Principles and, where clinical content is involved, AHPRA professional standards. Only aggregated, de-identified findings are shared with management, and minimum cell sizes are enforced so individuals can’t be re-identified in small teams or remote crews. Worker consent is sought and documented before any individualised information is provided to an employer.
Book a free 30-minute scoping call. We will tell you honestly whether a full psychosocial risk assessment is the right next step for your operation, or whether a more targeted piece of work makes sense first. Fixed-fee proposal within 48 hours.
Request a quote →Yes. Since December 2022, the Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 and the Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 require PCBUs to identify psychosocial hazards and eliminate or minimise the risks so far as is reasonably practicable. The WA Code of Practice: Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace (2022) is the approved code, and compliance with it is admissible evidence in any prosecution under the WHS Act 2020 (WA).
A psychosocial hazard is anything in the design or management of work, the working environment, the equipment used, or workplace behaviours that may cause psychological or physical harm. Common examples include high or low job demands, low job control, poor support, lack of role clarity, poor organisational change management, low recognition and reward, poor organisational justice, exposure to traumatic events, remote or isolated work, poor physical environment, violence and aggression, bullying, harassment (including sexual harassment), and conflict or poor workplace relationships.
If you run, or contract to, a workplace in WA that uses fly-in fly-out, drive-in drive-out or bus-in bus-out arrangements in the resources or construction sectors, then yes. The current FIFO Code (Mentally healthy workplaces for fly-in fly-out workers) sets the regulator's expectations on accommodation, rosters, isolation, leadership and intervention. WorkSafe WA has consulted on a refreshed FIFO Code aligned to the WHS framework — we track its progress and build our assessments to satisfy both versions.
Yes. We deploy validated psychosocial risk survey instruments with anonymous responses, segmented by site, crew, roster and role. We combine the survey data with worker interviews, document review and observation to triangulate where the actual control gaps sit — not just where workers feel comfortable raising concerns.
Sexual harassment is now treated as a WHS risk in WA, not just a discrimination or HR matter. The 2022 Enough is Enough WA parliamentary inquiry into sexual harassment in the FIFO mining industry sharpened the regulator's expectations on PCBUs. Separately, the Commonwealth positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act requires employers to take reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent sexual harassment. Our assessments cover both the WHS hierarchy of controls and the positive duty framework so you don't have to run two parallel programs.
Individual responses to surveys, interviews and any health screening are held in confidence in line with the Australian Privacy Principles and AHPRA standards where clinical content is involved. Only aggregated, de-identified findings are shared with management, and we set minimum cell sizes in our reporting to prevent re-identification in small teams.
On-site health screens, fitness for work and pre-employment medicals. Delivered by registered nurses with mining and FIFO experience.
Lead Investigator capability for high-potential, serious and notifiable incidents. Independent investigations and ICAM training rooted in 27 years of policing experience.
Tailored SMS development and uplift. Risk registers, safe work procedures, contractor management — built to integrate with your operations.
Whether it's a fresh tender, an audit deadline, a notifiable incident or a long-overdue SMS uplift — we'll respond fast and quote fixed.